Rain Recording

Let's see how the current range of Intel technology stacks up and, more importantly, how that relates to music making, audio production and creative media.

The processor is the bit of the computer that does all the thinking. It adds everything up, analyzes all the data, all the information, whatever's going on, the CPU (Central Processing Unit) knows about it. Running complex virtual instruments is a major task for the CPU - it's creating sound, modelling waveforms, combining samples, adding effects and then routing the audio to where it needs to go. For music production the CPU's power is vital for trouble free creativity. At one time the processors speed of operation was the key concern, but these days other technologies come into play like memory controllers, speed of data between components and the physicality of the processor itself. So the Gigahertz rating, while still important, is only part of the picture that includes the generation and series of processor.

Year after year Intel brings new processor technology to market and each year Intel tries new creative and innovative ways of naming so that everyone knows what they are talking about. Unfortunately people seem more confused than ever. "Pentium" was Intel's first attempt at sounding coherent and that worked for a while through the Pentium II but then fell apart as the technology changed. Next the "Core" label seemed to do the job, but then there was Core 2, then Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad and once again we're lost in the stack somewhere. Last year Intel released their Core i7 technology which seemed reasonably simple to grasp and this year they're introducing Core i5 now and Core i3 early next year - there might be a pattern forming here - could Intel have finally made a simple range of understandable processors? No, not really. They won't leave it to a single term to describe something, instead we get code names like "Bloomfield", "Lynnfield" and "Nahelem", then there's the number of pins in the processor socket or "LGA" of 775, 1366 or 1156, talk about levels of cache, power ratings, silicon width and finally the actual speed of the thing all of which contribute to giving a processor a snappy title like "Intel Core i5 750, LGA1156, Lynnfield, Quad Core, 2.66GHz, 45nm, 8MB Cache, 95W".

Describing processor technology is not an easy thing and it's inevitable that it gets a bit messy but let's see if we can demystify it a bit so that you can understand how the current range of Intel technology stacks up and, more importantly, how that relates to music making, audio production and creative media.

Intel processors range from Celerons up to Xeons but it's the middle ground we're interested in, the ones that make for great creative computers.

First let's deconstruct that snappy processor name to give you some idea of its meaning:

• Core i5 - The overall name of the processor type
• 750 - The first number is the series and the second shows the place within that series. So this would be the 700 series and a 750 would be faster than a 740 and slower than a 760 in terms of speed in GHz (Gigahertz). A new series would indicate something different other than just speed.
• LGA1156 - this refers to the number of pins, also described as a "socket" because the pins now reside in the motherboard rather than on the CPU itself.
• Lynnfield - Codename for the core technology - these used to be secret internal names but now seem to form part of the general description
• Quad Core - How many physical cores on the chip
• 2.66GHz - Speed that the processor runs at
• 45nm - size of the silicon manufacturing process
• 8MB Cache - small amount of superfast memory built into the CPU
• 95W - rated power consumption

The oldest technology we're running at the moment is the Core 2 Quad, usually denoted by a "Q" then the series number, the it's place within the series - so we have a Q9400 or the Q9550. Then last year Intel introduced the Core i7 900 series, codenamed "Bloomfield" based on their new Nehalem (codename) technology. This brought some major advances over previous technology by absorbing the memory controller on to the CPU and introducing QPI (QuickPath Interconnect) which is a faster way of connecting all the data streams together. The Lynnfield Core i5 and Core i7 takes this development further by absorbing more features onto the CPU so streamlining the connectivity on the motherboard, but they also scale down some of the performance of the Bloomfield Core i7 and so place themselves, performance wise, between the Core 2 Quad and the original Core i7.

Let's boil this down to the basics:

Core 2 Quad - last of the old school processors where the CPU does the processing and nothing else. All other connectivity and features are housed externally on the "Northbridge" and "Southbridge" chips. Great performance, runs dual channel memory and works with the P45 chipset (this is essentially the makeup of the motherboard). Needs a socket 775 motherboard with a P45 chipset.

Core i5/i7 Lynnfield - New development of Nehalem technology. Brings a dual channel memory controller and the PCI Express controller onto the CPU. The North and Southbridge chips and combined into a single chip within the P55 chipset. The i5 is a straight Quad Core processor whereas the i7 models have HyperThreading which enables another 4 virtual cores which can greatly enhance performance. Needs a socket 1156 motherboard with a P55 chipset.

Core i7 Bloomfield - First incarnation of Nehalem technology. Brought a triple channel memory controller directly onto the CPU. Leaving the PCI Express controller outside the CPU enables it to handle a greater bandwidth through the PCI bus. All 900 series Core i7's have HyperThreading enabled. Needs a socket 1366 motherboard with an X58 chipset.

So where does this leave us?

The Core 2 Quad has been a solid performer for the past couple of years and is now on it's way out having been surpassed by newer technology. However, it's still good, tried and tested and great value. In the spring of 2010 the Core i3 will arrive which will essentially replace the Core 2 Quad with better technology at the same price point.

The Core i5/i7 Lynnfield bring amazing processing power in a cost effective package. The P55 motherboards are much simpler, the QPI connectivity brings smashing performance and the increased stability of combining Intel CPU's with Intel motherboards makes for a superb addition to the Rain Recording lineup. For project studios and discerning professionals this is the ideal choice.

For the power user the Bloomfield Core i7 still rules the roost with it's triple channel memory and greater PCI express bandwidth. If you are running multiple DSP cards, or audio interfaces then this would be the better choice. In terms of plug-in counts the Bloomfield still has the edge but with a cost.

With changing technology you can rest assured that Rain have it all in hand. We work with Intel and test out all our choices so that you don't have to worry about the specifics. All Rain systems are hard working machines designed for audio and music production and with the value available in these processors you really can't lose wherever your budget takes you.

Overview of Intel processors for audio production: